Color of Jealousy
by ToxiNeena
Summary: Jealousy. An ugly color that looks good on no one...well, except for maybe one Uchiha Sasuke. Somehow, he can make it work.


**_A jealous Sasuke? Well, this should definitely be interesting... XD hope you guys like it, I tried to keep them IC, let me know if it needs any improvements! Thanks! And don't forget to review! Reviews are much appreciated :D_**

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><p>Sasuke's eyes narrowed with mild irritation at the sight before him. Surprisingly, it wasn't Naruto that had evoked such a reaction, but <em>Sakura<em>—or rather, the man who dared to 'chat' with Sakura. He stared at the stranger from just a few yards behind Sakura's back, eyes narrowed all the while.

"U-um…Haruno-san…well…you see I…"

The Uchiha nearly snorted. If there was one thing more annoying than Naruto, it was that man who kept stuttering like the Hyuuga Heiress.

"Yes?" the pink haired woman asked sweetly, most likely battering her eyelashes like she always did.

"E-ever since you healed me…I-I…I just couldn't stop thinking about you…"

Instantly, Sasuke stiffened. He had known from the beginning that it was going to be a confession of love, however, the thought of a scrawny low-life asking Sakura to be his girlfriend…_irritated_ the Uchiha to no end.

But, he thought with disdain, he _wasn't_ jealous. That wasn't it.

It was just that if Sakura had a boyfriend, it would diminish the amount of time she spared for training, which in turn would lead to the decrease in her skill level, which would then domino into the fact that she'd be the only weakness in the reunited Team Seven. And Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't tolerate weakness; any size, shape or form.

"I don't know why but…I just…" The man paused, collecting his scattered thoughts while wringing his hands nervously. "I just couldn't go another day without telling you…" He looked over Sakura's shoulder and froze, eyes going wide, jaw snapping shut with an audible 'click'.

Sakura's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Tell me what?" she prompted.

"That I…" His gaze darted back and forth from Sakura's face to the dark figure that loomed behind her, seething with the most terrifying look; and it was aimed directly at _him_. "I…love…"

The figure emitted a deadly aura that was nearly suffocating, eyes holding the promise of pain and suffering.

"I loved the perfume you wore…" he finished lamely, defeat plainly stricken across his face.

"Oh." Sakura smiled brightly, but confusedly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome…" he sighed. "I guess…I'll be going then." With that, the stranger shuffled off in disappointment, scuffing his shoes.

"Well that was weird. Don't you think so Sasuke-kun?" Sakura spun on her heel to give a questioning gaze to the teammate slouching behind her, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "For a guy to go to all the trouble to track me down only to say that he liked my perfume from a month ago?"

Sasuke almost rolled his eyes—Sakura, although medically intelligent, was as dull as a doorknob when it came to admirers.

"Come to think of it…I don't think I was even wearing perfume that day…" she said thoughtfully while moving to sit on a rock next to Sasuke. After sitting down with a huff, she began drawing small circles in the bright green grass with her sandal, observing Sasuke, who seemed to glower into oblivion. "Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

"What's the matter?" Sakura asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Nothing."

"Obviously _something_."

"Drop it."

"And if I don't?" She pressed her face closer to his.

And then, suddenly, she was staring into a big puff of white smoke. The bastard actually _left_.

"Jerk." Sakura pouted, crossing her arms.

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><p>Haruno Sakura ran her fingers through her hair and let out a large breath. There were many things running amuck in her mind at the time—the most prominent being the strange way every male reacted around her as of late. They would approach like they had to speak about a very urgent matter and it would turn out to be something like "I like your chakra flow". Then they would suddenly turn tail and practically sprint away. It didn't make sense.<p>

Did she smell bad or something?

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed in distress before checking herself discreetly. However, if she smelled bad, she was so used to it that she couldn't even tell. This fact induced panic mode in one pink haired medic.

_Do I really smell bad? Oh God…what if I do? I can't even tell! What do I do? Maybe I should… _Sakura chewed her bottom lip nervously, pausing. _Maybe I should see Kiba? He's got a powerful sense of smell… _She didn't like the thought of seeking out the busy ninja just to ask him if she smelled bad. It was just awkward. _But something definitely has to be done about this…problem. _With a sigh, Sakura set down the rather large medical textbook she had been trying to read. She placed the book back onto the shelf inside Konoha's public library, blandly thinking, _I've already read it three times anyway… _

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><p>Sakura kept her eyes downcast to the dirt road as she trekked through the market area of town, all the while having an internal battle. She couldn't decide whether she would ask Kiba or not. Her rational side said yes, that he would be mature about it. Then again, her common sense said Kiba? Mature? Yeah right.<p>

"Oh, Sakura-chan, what's up?"

Startled, the pink haired woman looked up to see that her brain had shifted to autopilot and had actually led her straight to the ninja she was debating about. Damn that rational side of her.

Kiba was sitting nonchalantly on a stool at the infamous Ichiraku ramen stand, chopsticks in one hand and bowl in the other. Strangely enough though, Akamaru was nowhere in sight.

"Kiba, I have a question." Sakura sat down in the seat next to him, seriousness etched into her pretty face. The Inuzuka man raised a brown eyebrow with curiosity and lifted a wad of beef flavored noodles to his lips. "Do I…do I smell bad?"

He choked with a small gargling sound, spewing little chunks of noodle and meat. Quickly, he wiped his mouth and chin with a hand before clearing his throat and turning to the woman sitting next to him incredulously. "What?"

Sakura's face became red with embarrassment. "Do I smell bad?" she repeated quietly, but loudly enough for him to hear. Kiba took a befuddled, hesitant whiff; his face screwed up, eyes blinking slowly. "So…I do?"

"No!" Kiba defended, holding out his hands. "Not at all, you smell just fine." He snorted with amusement—careful to actually swallow his food this time. "In fact, you smell _good_. Why do you ask?" He glanced to his left to see Sakura chewing on her bottom lip like she always did when she was embarrassed.

"No reason…"

Kiba narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, okay…it's because every time a man comes to talk to me, he suddenly cuts the conversation short and runs away!" She sighed with frustration and ran her fingers through her short hair. Kiba, however, smirked—he knew _exactly_ what was troubling her. Or rather, exactly _who_ was troubling her.

"Tell me…has the Uchiha been around every time?"

"Eh?" Sakura's eyes grew wide, frustration evaporating into confusion. "Sasuke-kun? What does he have to do with any of this?"

Kiba nearly shook his head in amazement—he thought since Sakura had completely adored the Uchiha from age eight onwards that she'd be able to catch on to his little game. Apparently not. "Just answer the question."

"Hmm…" She creased her eyebrows in thought, tapping her index finger to her chin contemplatively. "He was definitely there a few times, but I don't think he was there for all of them."

_I doubt that…you just didn't see him. _The Inuzuka smirked lazily, twirling a few noodles in his bowl with a single chopstick. "Sakura-chan, what if I were to tell you that I knew why all those guys ran away from you?"

"What? You know what's going on?" she asked incredulously.

Kiba nodded slowly. "But I need to show you, and to do that, you just need to play along." A plan was already forming in the young ninja's mind, and it was absolutely foolproof. _Uchiha, _Kiba scented the air again with a smirk, _you're right on time. _

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><p>Sasuke watched the interaction between the two comrades at the ramen stand, dark eyes smoldering. He wasn't following her, he wasn't stalking her either. He was making sure that no bastard was dumb enough to kidnap and or rape her. It was for her own protection.<p>

_Inuzuka…you must have a death wish, _Sasuke all but growled to himself as the dog-man draped an arm over Sakura's shoulders. What the woman did next surprised him though…she actually _leaned_ into the brunette's side. With a _giggle_, Sasuke added to himself silently. Sakura didn't giggle. Well, unless he happened to be around; then she giggled all the time, looking all cute and rosy-cheeked. Not that he thought she was cute or anything. That was just what Naruto and the others had told him.

Then, just as Kiba offered Sakura a few noodles—with chopsticks that he had _used_—Sasuke's control, what was left of it, snapped.

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><p>"Kiba…are you sure this is working?" Sakura whispered lowly with a fake smile as the man held out noodles on his chopsticks.<p>

"Oh, it's working," he assured.

_Uchiha is already on the move…three…two…one…_

"Inuzuka," a dark voice muttered from behind the pair.

_Bingo! _

Sakura, who hadn't been expecting the arrival of her own teammate, jumped and nearly fell off of her stool. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke ignored the surprised look on her face and focused on the rather smug one plastered on Kiba's.

"What a surprise, Uchiha." It was hard for Kiba to refrain from laughing. "What brings you here?"

_A little spat of jealousy perhaps? _A snort almost burst from him, but he squashed it mercilessly—if he were to laugh, then the Uchiha would know exactly what was going on, and that would totally ruin the fun. Not to mention it was a perfect chance for blackmail.

"No reason," Sasuke replied, glowering.

"Oh, I think there's a perfectly good reason."

Sakura blinked, obviously confused.

Just what exactly was happening?

First Kiba said that he knew what was happening, then he made her act like they were…_dating_, and then Sasuke just showed up out of nowhere, obviously irritated, completely unannounced and looking like he was just about to rip the Inuzuka member to little pieces. And, granted, Sasuke usually wasn't the most amiable of people, but he hardly ever went out of his way to confront others. Unless, of course he was angry or felt threatened or…_oh. _Oh, oh, _oh_.

She finally understood, or at least, she thought she did.

"Sasuke-kun…" she hummed, eyes gleaming with newfound interest. The Uchiha refused to look in her direction and stared down at Kiba menacingly. "Are you…" Sakura giggled, "are you _jealous?_"

"And we have a winner!" Kiba howled, springing up. "This, Sakura-chan," he pointed to Sasuke, who was silently raging, "is the source of all your problems."

"I'm not jealous. Don't get so conceited," Sasuke snapped to the pair.

"Jealousy, thy name is Uchiha Sasuke," the Inuzuka whistled with a huge grin, strolling off and leaving the two love-birds alone. _Just wait until everyone hears about this…_

"Inuzuka," Sasuke called after the dog-man, lurching forward as if he were about to chase down his own comrade.

But a pink head bobbed in his line of sight. "So you _are_ jealous!" Sakura squealed, elated with her new discovery and clapping merrily.

Glaring down at her, and finding distaste in the way that other customers were snickering and whispering, he grunted, "Let's go." Sasuke snatched her hand away and tugged her down the dirt road.

"Where are we going, Sasuke-kun?"

"Nowhere."

"Obviously _somewhere_."

"Drop the subject."

"And if I don't?"

This conversation was starting to sound very familiar to the medic.

"I'll tell every single person that you went to Kiba to ask if you smelled funny."

Except for that last part.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me." And he looked over his shoulder at her, anger gone for now, a smirk curving his wonderful lips.

Jealousy never looked good on anyone…except for maybe one Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura concluded.

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><p><em><strong>...<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Edited: 97/12  
><strong>_


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